5 Things That Keep Your Child From Sleeping

In our home one of the biggest struggles we have is sleep. From naptime to bedtime, sleep equals stress in this home. But with a few changes to our schedule, and advice from a sleep coach, we could easily change this around to a more peaceful outcome.

Lauren has kindly listed out a few things below that can help you troubleshoot just where you need to change things up. And with a sleep coach like her, I'm sure you'll see a great improvement in your child's sleep.

If you've experienced any of these items listed you may be interested in talking with Lauren more in depth to help change you child's sleep for the better!

The 5 Things That Kept

Your Child From Sleeping Last Night

1. Too late of a bedtime
Children need on average 10-11 hours of sleep at night for the first 9 years of their lives!Watch for your child’s sleepy cues in the evening (between 6-8pm, depending on their age). When they are rubbing their eyes, yawning or increasingly cranky these are good indications that it’s time for bed.

2. Nap deprivation
Too late of a bedtime and skipped short naps will create more night wakings and poor quality sleep - not to mention an overtired child! It might not be logical but its true! Sleep begets sleep. Make sure your child is having age appropriate naps so that they don’t get over-tired.

3. Your child was put down in his crib or bed already asleep
If you put your child to sleep by rocking, nursing, walking, bottle feeding or lying down with them, they become dependent on you to put them to sleep. When your child wakes during the night (we all do) they will expect the same thing from you in order to go back to sleep. Putting your child into their crib awake will help them learn how to fall asleep on their own.

4. Inconsistency is how you respond to your child during the night
If you are inconsistent in how you put your child to sleep and how you respond to them when they wake up, you may inadvertently create more crying! Consistency in sleep coaching is your key to success!

5. Underlying medical conditions Such as: asthma, allergies, reflux and sleep apnea. If you suspect your child is suffering from any of these conditions, talk to your pediatrician.

Lauren was born in Los Angeles, raised in Canada, and now lives in San Diego with daughter Charlie, 2, and husband Jordan. When she's not helping tired families you can find her enjoying time with her family, at the park, beach or enjoying other 'San Diegan' activities.

Those are really good things to know! Great informative post, thanks for sharing. Luckily for me my kids never had any issues sleeping, in fact we just recently stopped nap time last year when they were 7 and 9 :)